By many accounts, the Washington Commanders did well during the free-agency rush. And they will soon have an opportunity to follow up with a good draft. The Commanders have even drawn an Eagles comparison, but there’s a fear connected to it.
NFL executives weighed in on their thoughts on offseason activity, according to nytimes.com. And the Commanders found themselves in an interesting position.
“I’m afraid that is the team that is going to have the quarterback hit the sophomore slump, and now you have invested in all these older guys and you are not really building a team anymore, you are just adding pieces,” another exec said, noting (Texans QB) C.J. Stroud’s production fell off after a breakout rookie season. “At some point, you get diminishing returns with all those old guys.”
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn going for it
Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn speaks during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
On the positive side of things, one executive said the Commanders moves could very well work.
“They are going for it,” an exec said. “(Coach) Dan Quinn is like, ‘Let’s go.’ I do respect that. It’s a boldness that is not afraid to fail. Kind of like Howie Roseman in Philly pouncing on Saquon Barkley.”
Related Washington Commanders NewsArticle continues below
The Commanders signed or re-signed 23 free agents to one-year contracts. That ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Also, Washington traded draft picks to acquire wide receiver Deebo Samuel and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. And they gave a boatload of cash to defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw.
That latter of those drew a negative reaction from Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus.
“Despite posting the highest PFF overall grade of his career (56.1), Kinlaw has an extensive track record of subpar play across his NFL tenure,” Cameron wrote. “Now, he stands as one of the 20 highest-paid defensive tackles in the league despite having never earned a 60.0 PFF overall grade in any of his five seasons.”
But Cameron said the Commanders did well to give Bobby Wagner another one-year deal.
“Retaining Bobby Wagner to command this defense was perhaps Washington’s most savvy move of the cycle,” Cameron wrote. “At age 34, he posted the highest WAR value of any off-ball linebacker in the NFL in 2024 while clocking his third straight season of 91.0-plus PFF run-defense grades.”
It remains to be seen what the Commanders can accomplish in 2025, but they’ve definitely taken the chances to have a hop of catching the Eagles.